Prashant Kishor, founder of Jan Suraaj and its nominee for the Bankipur bypoll in Bihar, claimed that the BJP does not have a strong candidate to contest against him in the July 30 election. On Friday, Abhishek Kumar Sinha withdrew his nomination as the BJP candidate for the same seat, citing family reasons. The BJP has now selected youth wing leader Neeraj Kumar Sinha as its new candidate, and he is expected to file his nomination on Monday.
Addressing reporters on Saturday, Kishor stated that a BJP candidate pulling out of the race is an unprecedented development, noting that in the past it was contenders from rival parties who would withdraw their nominations due to fear of the saffron party.
Calling the development a triumph for the resilience of democracy and public confidence, Kishor told reporters in Patna, "The message is unmistakable: people now desire change and are asserting their voice. This time, they will punish the BJP in its own stronghold. The saffron party does not have a candidate of sufficient calibre."
People want to rise above caste, religion: Kishor
Kishor asserted that Abhishek Sinha’s withdrawal demonstrates that people are moving beyond caste and religious divisions to address the deception they experienced in the November 2025 elections. This is the strength of democracy... Once people rose above caste, religion, party, and individual leaders, the candidate of a party like the BJP fled from here... The people of Bihar were betrayed in November 2025.
Kishore said that the BJP can see defeat looming in Bankipur, and that is why its candidate ran away, as people have decided to punish the saffron party.
The BJP has a reputation for luring or pressuring rival party candidates, but now one of its own nominees is fleeing. The party is nervous about the possibility of losing. They once boasted that they could win Bankipur regardless of whom they nominated. The public has now resolved to punish the BJP," Kishor stated, according to PTI.
The people of Bihar are firm in their belief that someone like Samrat Choudhary, considering his behaviour, character, and public reputation, cannot be forced upon them as the state’s chief minister. The chief minister may belong to any community; that is not the concern. The real concern is selecting a competent and deserving individual," the Jan Suraaj party founder stated.
When is the bypoll and counting of votes?
Bankipur has long been a bastion for the BJP, with its leader Nitin Nabin securing victory from the constituency five times in a row. The bypoll was triggered by Nabin’s election to the Rajya Sabha following his appointment as the BJP’s national president. The by-election is scheduled for July 30, and the results will be declared on August 3.